On the one hand, a lot of companies have been doing significant work on improving diversity, especially in terms of gender equality. On the other hand, issues such as ethnicity and race, have not always received enough focus. Last year, the murder of George Floyd played a huge role in amplifying conversations around race and the fact that it happened during the pandemic has been a turning point – it forced the world to stop and listen. The pandemic has made us slow down, which ultimately meant that we were all online a lot more, constantly monitoring the news cycle. When George Floyd’s death hit the news, we had no choice but to pay attention. What was previously a neglected topic suddenly became a boardroom conversation. For race and inclusion, the pandemic could be said to have a positive impact, to a degree, as it made us pay attention to this ugly aspect within our societies. However, other parts of inclusion and diversity did suffer – from a gender point of view, the pandemic had an adverse impact on many groups, especially women. They were the biggest losers; many lost their jobs due to the pressures of having to balance looking after families with work, which led to increased burnout and loss of jobs as a result.
Another challenge presented by the pandemic was the negative impact that it had on young people entering the workforce for the first time. The lockdowns meant that those who were entering the workforce couldn’t benefit from the usual advantages of being in an office space, such as access to mentorship and collaboration. Companies and individuals tried to do what they could, but it still couldn’t compare to the benefits of real life human interactions.
The pandemic also saw greater disparity across socio-economic backgrounds. If you were in the privileged position of having a garden or a nice spare room, you could work and relax in your own space. If you lived in a high-rise or shared accommodation with no outside space, nowhere to call your own, then working and living in the same space was a lot harder. People experienced the pandemic in different ways, but those living in crowded spaces saw a greater negative impact on their focus and career progression. Without the right infrastructure, it was a challenging time for many, especially those with no previous experience of the workplace.
Now that the pandemic is on the wane, the issues that this presents have once again been different for everyone. For those living in a crowded, multi-occupancy home, going to the office provided a bit of a respite. However, for example for women, going back to the office had its own disadvantages, as many had to go back to a lifestyle of early wake-up calls, long commutes and of course figuring out childcare, with the mounting stress really affecting many women’s mental wellbeing. Fundamentally, people from different backgrounds had a varying experience, of both the pandemic and the gradual re-opening that followed.
I believe that there are a number of steps that businesses can take to increase inclusion and create more diverse workplaces. First of all, all initiatives have to start from the top, from how the organisation presents itself, its vision and its culture, through to what the board itself looks like – is it diverse and reflective of the world we live in? Having inclusion and diversity reflected within the makeup of the board is essential, and makes a very clear and unambiguous statement about the sort of workplace they want to create. Organisations also need to create a top-down investment – many companies still rely on grassroot movements created by employees themselves to improve diversity and inclusion. While these movements and initiatives are essential, they need to have investment from the leaders of the company to truly make an impact and work. There should also be a larger focus on systematic biases that exist in recruitment and promotion processes. Companies need to look at how they recruit, what kind of candidates they attract and the phraseology they use in their job specifications. Similarly, a closer look needs to be taken at promotion processes – who is getting promoted and why? Is it fair, is it representative of the workforce? Are some people being neglected because of archaic processes?
Fundamentally, improving diversity is an ongoing and essential task. We are already seeing that the enthusiasm around these issues is waning, there is greater resentment and an ongoing backlash against ‘wokeism’. In order to create workplaces that are representative of the communities they serve, we need to keep fighting to have these important conversations and companies must continue with their commitments to improving diversity and inclusion, across all areas.
Bukola is the founder/CEO of Career Masterclass which is a platform dedicated to enabling the progression of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) professionals in the workplace. Through webinars, live events and the annual STRETCH conference, Bukola teaches practical career tips to a varied BAME audience which has resulted in tangible career progress for the participants.
She is also a Senior Governance, Risk and Controls expert who has held leadership roles in global financial services organisations such as Barclays, HSBC, RBS, JP Morgan and Deloitte, in a variety of roles spanning Audit, Compliance, Financial crime, Risk & controls.
She was listed in the 2018, 2019 and 2020 PowerList, the 2017 Empower Financial Times List, and the Financial Times HERoes list of executives who have made a substantial difference to women’s careers.
May
20may18:0020:00This Independent Life | Building a Career in Women's Health | Workshop
20/05/2024 18:00 - 20:00(GMT+01:00)
Are you looking to build or pivot to a career in women’s health but don’t know where to start? Join this workshop & make it happen in 2024!
This session will be recorded and shared with all attendees after for future reference and to make it accessible to people with conflicts or who are in different time zones.
In 2022, Rebekah quit her senior job leading an independent healthcare communications and consultancy in London to start TIL. She’s now a women’s health advocate, speaker and advisor, event and podcast host, and thought leader in the women’s health space. She knows first-hand what it’s like to have a passion and desire to work in women’s health without knowing where to start, and is now passionate about helping others to do the same. Her clients include global organisations such as UNiDAYS, whistles, Schroders, University of Oxford and Imperial College London, she’s been featured in The Guardian, Nasdaq, Cosmopolitan and Stylist, and she leads and advises on a variety of women’s health initiatives, including workplaces, universities, charities, research, and start-ups. She’s educated 1000’s across the world and collaborates with renowned institutions, brands and leaders across the women’s health industry, such as for her annual, first-of-its-kind, Future of Endometriosis Conference in London. A Biomedical Science graduate, she’s an experienced creative leader and facilitator across the healthcare space having worked in research, the NHS, pharmaceuticals, communications and consultancy, and having lead, launched and grown international multi-million dollar accounts, brands and teams.
This will be a safe space for learning and is open to anyone regardless of your background, all are welcome (including allies, babies and animals!) If you’d like to join but can’t afford it right now please get in touch and we’ll see what we can do to support.
We look forward to welcoming you there and to supporting you in building a thriving women’s health career in 2024 and beyond!
Rebekah,
Founder of This Independent Life
Rebekah Lloyd is a women’s health and careers expert, speaker and advisor, event and podcast host, and founder of This Independent Life. After experiencing burnout and chronic pain, a 10-year delayed endometriosis diagnosis, and the resulting career and financial challenges, she started This Independent Life to help all people to achieve health, wealth and fulfilment in life. She delivers talks, events and consulting for workplaces and universities, research institutes and startups, and communities. She is a UN Women UK delegate and is dedicated to using business as a force for good, her clients including global organisations such as Barclays, National Trust, UNiDAYS, Whistles, University of Oxford and Imperial College London. She hosts an annual first-of-its-kind global conference on the Future of Endometriosis and Women’s Health, has been featured internationally including The Guardian, Stylist and Nasdaq, and was recently invited to advise the UK Parliament Women and Equalities Committee on women’s health as a result of her work that was broadcast globally via the BBC.
Reserve your spot here.
21may10:0012:00Beginner's Guide to Social Media Analytics for Charities (21 May) | Media Trust
21/05/2024 10:00 - 12:00(GMT+01:00)
Join this exciting new webinar to learn how to understand and master your social media analytics. Do
Do you know what is and what isn’t working for your charity on social media? We put so much time and effort into creating engaging and entertaining content, we want that effort to count. Measuring what’s working for your organisation should be a vital part of our digital marketing strategy – but where do you start?
In this 2-hour session, we’ll explore the fundamentals of tracking performance across various social media platforms. You’ll learn how to set achievable social media goals and how to measure the correct metrics. We’ll also cover all the different ways you can record your data and present it back to your team in a way that helps inform all future decisions.
This training will be delivered online, via Zoom. If you would prefer to pay via invoice, please email [email protected]
This session is ideal for you if you are responsible for your organisation’s social media and are looking for ways to use data to improve performance.
Beginner
Jade is an expert in supporting both charities and small businesses to transform their digital comms. She specialises in delivering training that builds digital skills and confidence, despite small budgets and time constraints. Working for Media Trust, she’s had the privilege of designing and delivering training for hundreds of charities, and really understands the challenges and barriers they are facing. Jade loves all things digital and is a firm believer that succeeding in digital is about having a curious mindset, and always being open to learning new things.
Reserve your spot here.
22may13:0014:00Foundations of Positive Leadership | Clear Sea Coaching
22/05/2024 13:00 - 14:00(GMT+01:00)
Learn how to lead with positivity and inspire others in our online event, Foundations of Positive Leadership! Welcome to the Foundations of Positive Leadership event! Join us online
Learn how to lead with positivity and inspire others in our online event, Foundations of Positive Leadership!
Welcome to the Foundations of Positive Leadership event!
Join us online to discover the key principles and strategies that make a great leader. Learn how to inspire and motivate your team, cultivate a positive work environment, and lead with confidence. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to take your leadership to the next level!
Reserve your spot here.